


Know What You Want

by Luna_Myth



Series: About Missing People [3]
Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: Alicization Turning, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Breakfast, F/M, Food, Friendship, Gen, Interlude, Love, Luna Reacts to New SAO Books, Missing Scene, Plans For The Future, Post-Canon, Pregnancy, Realization, Rewrite, Talking, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 14:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13366215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_Myth/pseuds/Luna_Myth
Summary: Asuna has breakfast with Dr. Rinko Koujiro--or tries to, anyway. {Continues from Lost Children and SAO 11: Alicization Turning}





	Know What You Want

**Author's Note:**

> i told yall i'd write another one of these. the new book's out already, i just haven't had time to order it yet.

The spiral stairs to the Upper Shaft of the _Ocean Turtle_ were very long and steep, and Asuna was already tired. After the conversation she’d had with the people behind the STL, and the startling encounter with a copy of Takeru Higa’s soul, she hadn’t thought she’d be able to get to sleep that night. The only reason she ultimately drifted off was the knowledge that Kirito—Kazuto—was safe and only a few floors away. Her nap earlier in the day hadn’t helped much—not long after that she’d woken up and gotten the rest of the story from Higa and Kikuoka. Now she was traveling from her room in the _Ocean Turtle_ to Kazuto’s place in the STL in the Upper Shaft. Unfortunately, it was turning out to be a surprising trek for her current state.

                She was almost to the top when she heard steps descending the stairs towards her. Looking up, a menacing, humanoid figure appeared, fast approaching her. It had four long limbs, a rectangular torso, and its proportions weren’t a match for anything Asuna had ever seen. Its head, instead of having a pair of eyes and a mouth, had three lenses of different sizes and the smallest one was glowing. Mechanical wiring ran up and down the length of its body, connecting and moving its joints with a sound like hydraulics going.

                Her breath escaped her. “A…robot…?”

                Asuna instinctively drew back in fear, her mind flashing to her best point of reference, the floating castle of Aincrad. This spiraling stairwell reminded her so much of the stairs between levels that she frantically tried to remember if there were any robot mobs in the game, even though they weren’t supposed to spawn between floors. Her hand darted to a spot on her waist and closed on thin air.

                That was right. There weren’t any robot monsters in _Sword Art Online_ , and anyways, she wasn’t in the game anymore. She was in real life. She took a deep breath, her heart still in her throat, and tried to soothe the adrenaline running through her system. The creature stood still in front of her, rotating itself to watch her through a single flickering eye, and she felt shaky and suddenly weak. She was considering turning and bolting back the way she had come, but then a voice came down from above.

                “Hey! Knock it off, Ichiemon!”

                A young man dressed casually in a t-shirt and shorts with spiked back hair and thick metal-framed glasses hurried down the stairs with a well-worn laptop in hand. He looked alarmed, perhaps seeing Asuna’s shaken state and paling complexion.

                The robot turned towards the man as if it recognized his spoken command, sending a wave of relief through Asuna as its eye no longer bored into her.

                She sighed, feeling her muscles relax into a loose putty, and looked to the man on the step above her to demand answers. “M-Mr. Higa…what is this?”

                Takeru Higa, the original version, seemed a mix between embarrassed and proud as he glanced between Asuna and the robot creature. “Er, well…it’s Ichiemon. The official name is Electroactive Muscled Operative Machine, or EMOM, and it’s the first of its type, so 1EMOM—which we’ve nicknamed Ichiemon.”

                She glared at him for his unhelpful answer and asked, “And…what is Ichiemon doing here?”

                Another voice answered, not Higa’s. “Higa’s just helping me fine-tune my program. I don’t know why—it’s not like we’re cohorts back at the college seminar anymore.”

                Dr. Rinko Koujiro appeared behind Higa on the stairs, dressed in denim and a lab coat and looking immaculately put-together. Asuna was happy to see her. Rinko had helped her sneak onto the _Ocean Turtle_ after all and Asuna admired her intellect and general good nature.

                “Good morning, Asuna,” Rinko greeted her.

                “Good morning,” she replied, then examined Ichiemon from top to bottom again as a thought struck her. “This…isn’t part of Project Alicization, too, is it?”

                XXX

                After she’d visited Kazuto—and received some of the answers to the questions she had—Asuna had made her way down to the mess hall with Rinko, who’d kindly invited her to breakfast with her. She was in relatively good spirits, having resolved to visit Kazuto again before midday, but something nagged at her. She felt off in some indefinable way, like there was trouble lurking just below the surface. In addition to that, she’d realized just after her encounter with Ichiemon that she was starving and so she gathered together a frankly embarrassing amount of food for breakfast that Rinko thankfully didn’t question.

                The pair of them sat down to eat at a table in the mess hall, Asuna immediately moving to devour her findings. She breathed a sigh of satisfaction as she ate one of her rolls and looked at Rinko, preparing to engage her in conversation, when Rinko got there first.

                “So…tell me more about you and Kazuto?” she asked, gesturing with her fork. “You care for him a lot to go all this way to find him.”

                Asuna couldn’t deny it. Kazuto had been an important part of her life for over three years. Different names, different worlds, but the same man. She needed him in her life as much as she needed air, and she had made a promise to protect him as he would protect her. If only they didn’t have to spend so much time saving each other and they could stay in the same world for longer than a year without catastrophe.

                “I love him,” she said. “We’ll have been together for two years in a couple of months. And during that time I have saved his life and he has saved mine countless times. It’d be nice if we could take a break from that, but even if that doesn’t happen, I want to stay with him for the rest of my life.”

                Rinko eyed her over her cup of coffee with a small smile. Asuna wondered if she was thinking about her own infamous love affair. From what she knew of the relationship between Rinko Koujiro and Akihiko Kayaba, their rapport had never been as strong as hers and Kazuto’s, but the love had been there all the same and it would be hard not to draw on your own experience in a conversation like this one.

                “That’s an admirable goal,” Rinko said, still with that sad, soft smile. “I’d imagine he feels the same way. Have you two talked about any plans for the future?”

                Asuna beamed suddenly, remembering the last conversation she’d had with him before the attack. “He asked me to go to America with him,” she said, her heart swelling unexpectedly. For some reason, she felt tears pricking her eyes and she did her best to blink them away. “I-I said yes, of course. Kazuto says the future of virtual reality tech is happening over there, although all this is certainly a competitor.”

                “My American company has treated me well,” Rinko reflected. “I’m sure the two of you would be a good fit in the virtual reality scene.”

                “Thanks.” Asuna smiled, eating more of her breakfast thoughtfully. “We’ve, uh, talked about other things, too. I keep trying to get him to formally meet my parents, but I think he’s scared. I suppose my parents can be kind of intimidating. Maybe after this he’ll finally get there.”

                There was silence for a moment as the pair ate their meal, and then Asuna looked up, blushing. “I want a family with him, too,” she confessed. “We-we’ve talked about children before, in passing, and with our AI daughter, Yui. We want to bring her to the real world and be a family there. But I’d also like Yui to have some siblings.”

                Asuna’s breath halted for a split-second and Rinko appeared contemplative at this burst of vulnerability, but soon the scientist’s face turned to an expression of pleasant surprise.

                “I’m glad you know what you want, Asuna,” Rinko said. “I certainly didn’t when I was your age. And I think you’ve got a pretty good shot at getting it.”

                Asuna wanted to thank her again, but suddenly the food in front of her no longer looked appetizing. Her stomach lurched unpleasantly, her half-eaten breakfast roiling inside of her, and she stood up, her face pale.

                Rinko stood up with a start too, her face the picture of alarm. “Asuna? Are you okay?”

                Asuna couldn’t get a word out either way and she rushed to the nearest bathroom, which was fortunately located just outside the mess hall. She yanked open a stall door and collapsed to her knees in front of the toilet before spilling her guts out. After the initial wave, she tried to spit to clear her mouth, but stifled a small moan as she felt her stomach clench again and retched into the bowl once more.

                Rinko came up behind her and, after a moment’s hesitation, grabbed her hair to pull it back. Asuna mumbled her gratitude weakly. She choked up another mouthful of bile and sat miserably on the floor for a few more breaths before she felt strong enough to push her hair back from her face and collect herself. Rinko left to get her a wet paper towel for her mouth, which Asuna sheepishly appreciated.

                She cleaned herself up and got rid of the mess in the stall, taking her leave to stand beside Rinko at the sinks. Although she felt a lot better, she looked something of a mess in the bathroom mirrors. Color was returning to her face, but she still looked pale and her hair was in disarray, strands lying every which way. Rinko looked at her with a frown between her eyebrows and upon her lips. Her eyes just seemed concerned.

                “I-I’m better now,” Asuna said, still shaken emotionally. “But I should probably go see Nurse Aki again.”

                “That would be a good idea,” said Rinko. “Do you want me to come with you?”

                Asuna smiled softly and shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll go alone. I’m sure Higa will need your help again soon anyway.”

                In truth, a part of her would’ve appreciated the company, but she sensed that this was better done alone, and she meant what she said about Higa needing help. Although she didn’t exactly agree with what was being done here as part of Project Alicization, she didn’t want to risk interfering with it yet—not before she knew everything involved and not while Kazuto was still in the STL.

                Asuna made her way to where she suspected Nurse Aki of being, an unusual sense of nervousness permeating her belly. She felt hungry again after not being able to finish her breakfast, but she wasn’t willing to trust herself with food yet either. With any luck, the nurse would be able to help, and she could finish her breakfast soon.

                She poked her head through the door. “Nurse Aki?”

                The nurse looked up from her computer and gave a mild expression of surprise. “Asuna again. Back to see Kazuto already? Or is something wrong?”

                Feeling oddly sheepish, Asuna slipped into the room to stand in front of the nurse. “Uh, the second one. I threw up again. I don’t feel nauseous now, but I think I might be getting ill or—something.”

                Nurse Aki’s eyebrows upturned and a look Asuna didn’t like came into her eye, but she merely said cheerfully, “If you’re sick we can check that. Come over here.”

                Asuna followed her over to a medical stand and took a seat on a bed as the nurse pulled out a thermometer, the kind that goes in someone’s ear. Nurse Aki took her temperature, then shook her head regretfully.

                “No fever,” she said. “That would be simpler. I could take some blood tests, but normally there’s a few other things we’d try first. Now this usually makes people embarrassed, but answer me honestly—are you sexually active?”

                Asuna’s face flushed bright red as her heart skipped a beat. “Y-yes,” she said, doing her best to maintain her composure, but feeling herself slipping into a spiral at the route this was taking. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest.

                “Then I think you know where this is going,” the nurse said cheekily, which Asuna thought was very unprofessional of her.

                “Just—give me the test. Please,” Asuna said in a strangled voice. She averted her eyes for half a second before holding her hand out for the item in question. Nurse Aki dropped it in.

                The pregnancy test was in a discreet white box about the length of her hand and Asuna felt her stomach flutter nervously at the thought of taking it. Although she expected there were also instructions inside, she had a pretty good idea how to use it, and she nodded as firmly as she could to Nurse Aki before heading to the restroom adjacent to the medical room.

                The waiting time on the test was very quick and Asuna didn’t know if that was good or bad. On one hand, she didn’t have much time to prepare herself, but on the other, it was quite possible she would only work herself into a panic. Trying not to think about it too hard, she took the test, set it down on the sink counter, and abruptly turned around to face the wall. She gave herself till the count of ten to prepare for the result, focusing all her determination on being calm and composed and steady. She could handle this. She had this under control.

                Asuna spun around and grabbed the finished test, her eyes immediately flashing to the screen. Two pink lines stared back at her, bold and unrepentant, signaling the undeniable fact that she was pregnant. Asuna’s racing heart leapt into her throat, and she let the test fall back upon the counter as her hands clutched at the edge of the sink for support. But just as quickly as her heartrate had spiked, she felt herself calming down, and she stared at her own reflection in the mirror above the counter. A hungry and tired young woman stared back at her, but a determined one, and one who had certainly faced worse than this.

                “Okay,” she said aloud to herself. Asuna picked up the test and opened the door of the restroom, returning to her spot by Nurse Aki and the equipment.

                “It’s positive,” she announced, handing off the test. A nervous thrill went through her, and she clasped her hands together as the nurse’s eyes twinkled knowingly. Asuna could only guess what she was thinking, but considering the woman’s previous experience, it was likely to do with her and Kazuto. Refusing to blush, Asuna looked away again for a moment.

                “Congratulations,” Nurse Aki said finally. “It seems I have some things for you then. We don’t have any on the _Ocean Turtle_ , but I’ll write up a prescription for pre-natal vitamins for you if you’d like. There’s also a list of no-go foods that you should avoid while you’re pregnant. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

                “Yeah,” Asuna said softly, lowering her clenched hands into her lap. “Can you tell me how far along I am?”

                Nurse Aki thought about it. “We can run some exact tests to know for sure, but I’d say you’re around eight weeks.”

                Unable to stop herself, Asuna put a hand to her stomach, biting her lip. She felt warm, no major differences from normal, but something was happening—inside her, around her, everywhere. There was change and tension in the air, almost like the excitement of spring. For the first time, she felt a burst of positive emotions, so overwhelming they almost consumed her—hope, excitement, joy, laughter. She wanted to talk to Kazuto, to share all this with him and laugh and cry, but he was still in a coma and she could only hope he woke up soon. What a way it was their lives had worked out, with crisis and fear beside hope and anticipation, good always alongside the bad.

                The original _Sword Art Online_ incident was a major example of this, because Asuna had met Kazuto—then Kirito—and had some of the best days of her life in the game of death, unarguably one of the greatest tragedies in modern Japan. She wouldn’t give up those days for the world, but other moments, like the danger-fraught first months of the game, and the losses of teammates and friends, had weighed heavily on her. Concern floated up to the forefront of her mind at raising a child in such a world, in such a life, and she sighed, her brow furrowed. She wished Kazuto were here.

                “Thank you,” she answered quietly. “Can you run those tests?—and then I’d like to try breakfast again.” Subtle humor laced her voice.

                “I bet you would,” Nurse Aki said, smiling easily. “I’ll get right on those and let you return to your feast.”

                “I-I don’t know about a _feast_ ,” Asuna said, somewhat flustered. But she let the nurse run her tests and accepted the few papers she handed her.

                “Have a good day, Asuna, and good luck,” said Nurse Aki. “Come visit anytime. I don’t bite.” 

                “Okay,” said Asuna, bowing quickly. “I’ll see you around.” And then she left the medical bay, with the start of a baby growing in her stomach and a lot to think about.


End file.
